6 December 2010 GG Awards 2010: Best Graphics

BAJOIt's time to award the best eye candy of 2010. The nominees for best graphics are...

- Red Dead Redemption- Mass Effect 2- Heavy Rain- Limbo

And the winner is...Red Dead Redemption

HEXThere are many things that make Red Dead Redemption such an incredible looking game - the sunsets, horses, character models and animations are all amazing - but something that just made it stand out from almost everything else...the incredible sense of scale.

BAJOThere are bigger games, we're sure, but the size and freedom afforded by the RDR sandbox is incredible. Everything feels like it's the right size and in the right place. The look really evokes that feeling of the Western - looking towards the horizon and knowing that all you have to do to get there is get on your horse and ride.

HEXThe character models are superb, but the way they are animated truly brings them to life. The way the muscles bunch and slide under a horse's skin is amazing, and Marston's swagger, with his arms slightly splayed but always within quick-draw distance from his six-shooters, really encapsulates his character.

BAJOIt's also one of the best examples of how good the Euphoria engine can look. Knocking someone off their horse, or trampling them with your own is always fun, but watching the bodies realistically crash to the ground is a little uncomfortable. When people are shot they act as if they've been hit. It makes the gunfights that much more immersive and the spectre of death that much more confronting.

HEXEverything comes together to make RDR one of the most breathtaking games we've seen in a long time. It looks equally great when populated with zombies.

BAJOThe look of Mass Effect 2 is greater than the sum of its parts, so it definitely deserves a mention as one of the best looking games of the year. The combination of a highly customisable Shepard character model and some brilliantly designed companions helps bring the epic universe of the game to life.

HEXThe brief cutscenes that play before landings really tie the game together, but they pale before the artistry of the full in game cinematics. They show such attention to detail that you get a sense of a character's motivations from the expressions on their faces, no matter how alien.

BAJOThe architecture and design of the game is also fantastic. Each planet looks and feels different. It goes without saying that the Normandy remains the most beautiful spaceship in a game.

HEXA final big shout out has to go to Limbo for its incredible art direction. The slightly distorted, deliberately murky silhouette style of the game adds a palpable sense of menace to the puzzle platforming action.